Jones Administration and St. Louis Development Corporation Begin Installing WiFi in Public Parks

With the help of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ administration, in partnership with the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), began installing free WiFi in nine city parks. To advance Digital Equity in the City of St. Louis, SLDC is investing $5 million of its ARPA allocation to create digital literacy programs and broaden access to high-speed internet. According to a study conducted last year by Ernst & Young in collaboration with the St. Louis Community Foundation, there are tens of thousands of families in St. Louis who cannot access high-speed broadband (HSBB) and internet-enabled devices in their own homes due to cost. The report found that 150,000 households in the city “struggle to afford” HSBB; at least 25% of households “do not have a computer, or only have a smartphone.”